π ββοΈ Itβs Not OK - November 1st to 30th π ββοΈ
Creating safer communities means ensuring that no one lives in fear of harm on the streets or in their own home. For the month of November, we want to raise awareness and work together to end all forms of violence including family harm, elder and child abuse, sexual assault, gang violence, and more. These victimisations affect us all and can have lasting effects that spill into our everyday lives including at work and school.
To do your part this month, perhaps consider supporting a womenβs refuge or work with Police in your area to host an info night on how to identify elder or child abuse in your community. This monthβs campaign also coincides with White Ribbon Day on 25 November which is an internationally celebrated day that aims to prevent violence towards women.
Let us know how youβre spreading the βItβs Not OKβ message in your home or in your community by tagging us in your posts + using the following hashtag so we can see what you get up to:
#NSNZendviolence
Poll: Is the increase in disability parking fines fair?
In October, the fine for parking in a designated mobility car park without a permit has jumped from $150 to $750βa 400% increase!
The goal is to keep these spaces open for those who truly need them. Do you think this big increase in the fine is fair? Share your thoughts below.
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88.8% Yes, it's fair
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10.6% No, it's unreasonable
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0.7% Other - I'll share below
VERGING IN ON THE VERGE
The dilemma in Levin with residents told by its Council to start mowing and maintaining the grass berms/verges associated with their properties, brings to mind the many owners and renters where I live in Wallaceville Estate who do not mow or maintain the berms/verges they are responsible for despite the newness and otherwise attractive setting of this still developing residential area.
The UHCC have long ago decreed it is not responsible for berm/verge mowing and maintenance except when the verge is not "attached" to a private property or is so big as to relate more to a road in general.
This seems to be a happy compromise though there are quite a few miserable, shoddy residents who simply let the grass and increasing array of weeds grow anyway they like.
Most verges can be mowed in a couple of minutes and with many mowers rechargeable battery-operated, the cost is little or zilch. Weeding - try lawn weed spray for a start.
DID POMS RESPECT HAKA & ANTHEM?
ABs beat England at a 81,000 packed Twickenham Stadium by a narrow but deserved margin last Saturday afternoon but New Zealand was not treated with much respect immediately before the whistle blew to start the match.
The national anthems went this way - the dreadful English anthem was sung by a pro performer with orchestral backing and the NZ anthem was simply music and no lead singing.
Cannot recall when this has ever been done before with no equal footing given. It wasn't as if the spectators did not play big pounds to boost the stadium coffers.
Then the haka was drowned out by that inappropriate slavery song sung by a large majority of the audience.
Maybe the song is not so inappropriate in as much as the British being formerly subjects of a king/queen and still forced to sing an anthem that glorifies the same personnel.